Why choose Kent Wildlife Trust as your charity of the year?

It’s around this time that many businesses and organisations start to think about choosing their charity of the year...

 

Generally speaking, choosing a charity of the year means you support their cause both literally and metaphorically – so your organisation may do certain fundraising activities or otherwise help them through volunteering, for example. 

If you’re a Kent organisation that cares about wildlife, then we might just be on the cards for your charity of the year! Here, we wanted to help you make that decision and outline some simple ways you can support our work if you choose us. 

 

Why support us

As the leading conservation charity in Kent, we pride ourselves on our innovative approach. In the last few years alone, we’ve begun important projects like the Wilder Blean Initiative, have reintroduced the long-lost chough to Dover, and launched our Wilder Kent 2030 Strategy in the fight against the climate and nature crises.  

Across our 90+ nature reserves, and with the support of our 32,000 members and 1000 volunteers, we’ve worked to bring people closer to nature and protect and restore precious wildlife. 

But we know that we, alone, can’t achieve our ambitious goals. So, we work closely with local communities, farmers, councils, businesses, and organisations to build a wilder Kent for people and the planet! 

Supporting Kent Wildlife Trust as your charity of the year could be right for you if you (like us)...: 

  • care about creating wild spaces for nature and people to enjoy for generations to come 

  • appreciate the wellbeing benefits of nature 

  • see wildlife as part of the solution to the climate crisis 

  • think more land should be under nature-positive ownership and management.

If your business doesn’t already have a charity of the year, now is a good time to start thinking about it ahead of the new tax year. Not only can you and your staff feel good knowing you’re supporting a worthy cause, but you can also create tax deductions via your charitable donations. 

 

Charity of the year 

Every business or organisation will have a different approach to their charity of the year. Some may choose to exclusively do fundraising and awareness work for that charity. Others will choose a main charity of the year that they host fundraising events for, or donate a percentage of sales to, while also allowing their staff to nominate different charities they like for smaller events or seasonal fundraising. 

There is no ‘right way’ to go about helping your charity of the year!

Photo by Ray Lewis

If Kent Wildlife Trust is on your list of possible charities to support this year, then first of all, thank you for considering us! There are a few ways you can help us: 

  • become a corporate partner 

  • fundraise for us 

  • volunteer with us 

  • join us on corporate away days. 

We dive into each of these in more depth below. 

 

Corporate partnerships 

All of our corporate partnership packages are tailorable. Whichever package you choose, partnering with us means aligning your business with a local charity that has a global impact as previous winners of the Global Good Awards and Kent Charity of the Year! 

As a corporate partner, you could: 

  • feature on our website and social media 

  • have access to over 32,000 members 

  • join us for team building days and volunteering opportunities 

  • receive exclusive discounts 

  • be the first to hear about upcoming events, campaigns, and products 

  • be supported by the Kent Wildlife Trust corporate team to achieve your aims. 

Our higher-tier packages also include access to expert advice from and the chance to work with our Wilder Carbon and Adonis Blue Consultancy teams. 

Head to our Corporate Support page for more insight into our partnership packages!

Fundraise for us 

Fundraising can take practically any shape or form, but if you’re getting people involved you’ll usually want to make sure it’s fun! Use your imagination or stick to the tried and tested classics like bake sales and fun runs. 

Some wildlife-specific ideas include:

  • A sponsored litter pick 

  • A ticketed nature documentary ‘movie night’  

  • A wild picnic (provide food or do it ‘potluck’ style) 

  • A sponsored camp-out (providing it’s somewhere where nature can be left undisturbed!) 

  • A money jar for donations instead of coffee purchases.

 

Sometimes, businesses choose to allow staff to do their own fundraising activities, then match-fund the amount they raise. This can be a great way to pose an exciting challenge to staff members and get them engaged in the cause. 

You might also like to consider donating a percentage of profit to your charity of the year. If you do so, it’s a good idea to shout about it!  

For example, a previous business donor told their members that if they bought a certain product, they would donate £10 to Kent Wildlife Trust – customers felt great about their purchases, they had a boost in sales, and we got some lovely donations. Win-win-win! 

In 2022, Shepherd Neame raised £30,000 for Kent Wildlife Trust as part of their Charity of the Year partnership. Their activities included taking part in the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge in Dorset, organising a Royal Brewery Bake Off, sponsored pub walks, photography competitions, and a series of summer beach cleans at four of its coastal sites. Learn more about Shepherd Neame’s support here.

Volunteer with us 

Whether you choose to give staff some ‘free’ volunteering days for us as your charity of the year or want to arrange group volunteering sessions, we’re always grateful for volunteers. 

Our volunteering opportunities are incredibly varied, so there’s something for everyone. You could be checking on livestock, tree ‘popping’ (clearing invasive saplings), repairing fences, picking litter, clearing pathways, putting up signs, or counting plant species – as just a few examples.  

The opportunities available depend on the day, location, and how many of you there are, so get in touch with our volunteering team to find out more. 

 

Corporate Away Days 

Our team building days offer a great opportunity to get outside, explore nature, and give back. You can expect a tailored plan for your team based on your goals for the day, your locality, physical ability, and the number of people. 

With Kent Wildlife Trust, you’ll experience team away days like no other, gaining access to experiences usually reserved for our rangers. By the end of the day, your team will have connected with nature – and each other – and helped support our efforts in creating a wilder Kent! Plus, you’ll have demonstrated your commitment to your ESG or CSR strategy. 

Learn more about our Corporate Away Days here. 

 

Thank you for helping nature thrive 

Whichever way you choose to support us, thank you – we couldn’t do what we do without people like you. 

If you’re taking action for nature in Kent, you might be interested in learning about our Wilder Kent Awards. The deadline for entries is May and the awards ceremony takes place in July! 

To find out more about supporting us – whether it’s as your charity of the year or otherwise – you can get in touch with our Corporate team, who are always happy to chat. Email corporate@kentwildlife.org.uk. 

Learn more

Quarry Wood showing woodland habitat
© Lucy Carden

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